While you’re more likely to hear women complain about their boyfriends and husbands never listening to them than the other way around, a recent poll discovered that men actually listen more carefully to others than women do. “The poll of 2,000 people found that more than one in five men reckon they always listen carefully to every word, and while less than one in five of women said the same.” Among the situations where women tend to tune out: listening to work colleagues (the average woman listens intently just 64% of the time), listening to their boss (women pick up just 2/3 of their boss’ communication), and listening to their partners (they catch 70% of those conversations). If women aren’t listening to their colleagues, bosses, or partners, what are they paying attention to? The poll says women give the most focus to gossip and eavesdropping! Don’t worry, though—“when it comes to talking to their best friend, women give their full attention to more than three quarters of what is spoken.” I’m guessing the 25% of the time women are tuning their best friends out is when the following is being discussed: their kids, how the wedding planning is going, or how, like, totally great their relationship is. Snooze-ville! [via Telegraph U.K.]

Yesterday, a breaking news item of epic importance tore its way across the blogosphere. Mary Rambin, the blond, bebobbed, bubbly third portion of the NonSociety crew, was leaving the fold. After we picked ourselves up off the floor, wiped away our tears, and told ourselves everything really would be OK if we just prayed a lot, we started wondering who would be fit to replace the Rambin. It’s hard to imagine someone else filling her overpriced shoes, and be as devoted to live blogging their colon cleansings with such vim, such vigor. But we persevered. After the jump, the top 10 contenders for who should replace Mary on NonSociety, even though she can never be replaced in our hearts.

I edited Maxim for four years, and let me tell you, we knew everything there was to know about guys. Like this: All guys really care about is girls. Our sex and relationship pieces tried to break down the great female mystery, and they were consistently the highest-rated articles in the magazine aside from, well, the pictorials. And we learned a lot ourselves. Here are nine interesting nuggets of wisdom I gleaned from my job presenting women to men.

Last week, we asked you whether you’d want to be called a slut or fat. More of you picked slut over fat (1,573 vs. 689). Obviously, perceived promiscuity is a less hurtful label to Frisky readers than assaults on our appearance, even if we’re playing into archaic ideals. But when it’s a choice of brains versus beauty, women are still conflicted, according to a an Oxygen network poll of more than 2,000 women aged 18 to 34.

Women’s History Month should feel different this 2009. We’re living in an epicenter of change and progression. We have powerhouses Nancy Pelosi and Hilary Clinton sitting high in the White House. Tina Fey represents our new wave of venerated cultural icons. And before our new president married our first lady, he was reporting to her in the workplace. Yes, smart is sexy again. Or is it?

During the most recent Democratic primary, I found myself wondering how things might have turned out differently if Hillary Clinton had spent less time with the glass ceiling and more time campaigning for President. For that matter, would Sarah Palin have been chosen as John McCain’s ticket mate if she had not been female?

We often think of a deep baritone voice as a sexy one, but it seems too cliché to think that a romantically-inclined crooner like Barry White would actually look the part. Yet, although most people’s voices don’t seem to strike a chord one way or the other, research has shown that a person’s voice can influence whether others find him alluring or unattractive. But once you connect the face with the voice, does the sound actually correspond to a knockout—or a letdown?

I woke one day and decided to be the artist’s model at the local art school instead of being one of the painters/sculptors as I usually am. Most artist’s models always looked a little spacey to me and uncomfortable, even unhappy to be the one standing nude in front of students. What I had not counted on was that the poses I was asked to hold would be more than my small body could bear. By the end of each short session, my body ached, and I was happy enough to step down from the dias and stretch. While I was posing, I had to keep very still and focus on something with my eyes to keep steady.

“V-Day.” Sounds more like an invasion of Normandy than a day spent celebrating love and romance. And rightfully so. Sometimes the intricacies of preparing for the holiday resemble war-room strategy more than jubilation. Sure, you’re armed with flowers and chocolates instead of a rifle and grenades, but there is a common dread, with the tips of those big red hearts hanging like so many swords of Damocles.

In “The Great Girlie Gross-Out,” Salon’s Rebecca Traister takes a look at the online phenomenon in which women, mostly young women, share intimate things about themselves that others may or may not want to know. The most notorious offenders include Moe Tkacik’s tale of a wayward tampon, Tracie Egan’s ongoing urinary tract infection problems, and Miranda Purves’ post-childbirth ... jellyfish. Without a doubt, “Oversharing is in.” The question is: Is all this spewing too much information—or the voice of a new generation of women who aren’t afraid to be candid about their bodies? Ultimately, the intention may be more about getting attention than getting empowered. “We have edged away from a time when talking openly about the female body was necessarily a brave political statement and into one in which it can be self-promotional, potty-mouthed and kind of sweet.” Or, as Tkacik confesses: “You write gross things for page views too.” In other words, postfeminist chicks mistake clicks for politics. [Salon]

Earlier this week, the good people at AskMen.com revealed their list of the “Top Ten Things Men Shouldn’t Do In Public,” which included definite no-no’s like picking their noses and peeing conspicuously, and debatable no-no’s like crying (Come on, what if his dog just died? What if he just watched “The Notebook” for the first time?). Interestingly, they said proposing to your girlfriend on a subway was a “bold” public move—something that really ought to TOP the list of forbidden public acts, if you ask me (I mean seriously, a subway? Is there a danker, drearier place on Earth to ask a woman to spend the rest of your life with you?!).

Anyway, there’s no reason men should have all the fun, so in the interest of equality we’ve got a list of our own. After the jump, the Top Ten Things Women Shouldn’t Do In Public.

Scarlett Johannson must have read about this study that says women feel their sexiest at 32, because the 24-year-old actor wishes she was 10 years older. “I don’t feel sexy, not right now. I think there is kind of an ingenue thing that women play when they are in their 20s. They are sort of these whimsical, sort of transient characters, and it’s like that in life,” she said. Although we can’t comprehend how Johansson doesn’t feel sexy with that body and intelligence, we totally buy her reason for wanting to be older in Hollywood: “Women in their 30s, and actors in their 30s, suddenly take on far meatier roles. They are playing mothers and wives and women who have been through a life – before the place that they are at that moment. And I look forward to that time when I’ll be able to have more of a life that I have experienced to put into the roles,” she said. For someone who wants more life experiences, Johansson sure has good advise on relationships…

The Three Laws of Female Robotics:

1. A female robot must always have perfect makeup, even if her arm is falling off.
2. A female robot must have at least one spare head available to her at all times.
3. A female robot will only find a mate if she follows the First and Second Laws.

Broken Robot Girl #1 by Rob Sheridan and Tamar Levine via Chatarra.

[Three Laws of Robotics]

What’s this ad really about? You tell me. Copyranter reports this ad campaign was created for the German edition of Men’s Health magazine. Both of the ads feature young women exercising to the point of sweaty, dejected exhaustion. In one ad, the woman leans over the handlebars of her bicycle, out of breath. In the other ad, the woman sits on her stationary bicycle, wiped out. The ad copy reads: “IT’S ALL ABOUT MEN.” Copyranter opines: “While it’s certainly not clear, the message of the campaign appears to be ‘that’s right babes, you keep exercising you little patooties off…for us men.’” It’s hard to argue with that position. One of the female commenters chimes in: “The only reason I exercise is so I can get laid.” I’d say she’s the truthteller. What do you think? Is this misogynist marketing or the face of reality? [Copyranter]

One of the things I love about being in a relationship is that my friend circle multiplies. But what happens to those newly formed friendships when the relationship ends? For example, recently two of my friends who were in a couple broke up and it’s been awkward ever since. Where we used to all go out together once or twice a month, now I have to split time between them, and I have the nagging feeling that I’m cheating when I hang out with one and not the other. After driving myself crazy for a few weeks (Do I talk about or avoid the subject? Partake in talk about the ex or awkwardly change the subject when it comes up?), I sought some advice on dealing with the joint-friends breakup—who keeps whom? And does it really have to come down to that?

Great news for those of us who are 32: we’re totally hot! At least, this is the age we report feeling the most beautiful, anyway. A new survey of 1500 women found that 40% of respondents said they felt most attractive at this age. At 32 women say their life “had the mix of confidence gained from life experience, an active love life and the pleasure of eating and drinking sensibly.” Hmm…do women not have that at 33 anymore? Or at 38, or 43, or 50? While I would hope these things would continue well past 32, some psychologist named Sandra Wheatley says this is “really encouraging” news because it means women are placing value on life experiences and achievements instead of just how shiny there hair is or how perky their boobs are. She told the Daily Mail: “It sounds to me like women are becoming much more swayed by personality. It’s a sign that we are valued for who we are and what we are capable of, not just what is on the surface. Feeling beautiful is tied in with confidence and life experience. At 32, a woman has been through and survived more experiences and achieved more than at 22.”

A new report released this week suggests that high levels of estrogen, known as estradiol, may make some of us act a bit slutty. Apparently, the hormone not only makes us feel pretty, it makes us horny, as well—and not just for the one we’re with. “Women with higher estradiol reported a greater likelihood of flirting, kissing and having a serious affair with someone other than their primary partner and were marginally more likely to date another man,” reported researcher Dr. Kristina Durante of The University of Texas at Austin. Researchers discovered that women with high-estradiol were considered significantly hotter by themselves, as well as others. High-estradiol is also the hormone that makes women especially fertile, so researchers report: “Results provide support for the relationship between physical beauty and fertility and suggest that women high in reproductive health engage in opportunistic serial monogamy—being open to affairs and moving on to a new relationship if a higher-quality mate becomes available.” It’s interesting, though, that the study only tested 52 women, all between the ages of 17 and 30, all undergrads, and all in Texas. That hardly seems like a fair representation of fertile woman, if you ask me. I mean, everyone knows Texan undergrads are loose. Oh, I kid, people. I kid. [Yahoo]

“Why won’t he commit?”

“Get your man to say ‘I do!’”

“Why don’t guys call when they say they will?”

Peruse any magazine rack and various Web sites and you’ll see headlines such as these splattered all over. Inside you’ll read article upon article about how women can decode, seduce, corral, turn on, and coerce men.

The Times says there’s a new brand of feminist on the march: Noughties. Instead of old school feminism, in which, to varying degrees, women worked together to achieve a common goal, the new new feminism is like a gender politics remix: “It’s like a pick-and-mix feminism, where you can choose the bits you care about yourself.” Want to wear lipstick? Go for it. Want to grow your armpit hair out? Why not. Theoretically, at least, there’s no “bad” or “good” feminists, but a rainbow of feminist beliefs from which women can pick and choose as they see fit, whether it’s sexual politics in the bedroom or protesting against discrimination in the streets. While this new brand of feminism sounds a lot like the late 90’s post-feminist movement to me, the neo-feminists promise theirs is a diverse movement within which all women can finally unite. So, what do you think? Is feminism dead in the water, or is it alive and kicking? [Times]

Common sense says to keep first dates light and breezy, to stay away from controversial topics, and to avoid discussing former relationships at all costs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn some very important things about your date. In fact, it’s your obligation to learn six particular date traits to save yourself time and potential heartache. After the jump, the six things you’d be a fool not to find out about your date.